Encoders for converting rotary or linear motion into digital signals representative thereof are readily available and well known in the art, and various different types of electronic circuits are available for utilizing the digital information generated by such encoders. In many applications, an encoder system is used to provide positional information that is directly displayed to an operator by means of a digital display. In particular, the use of encoders for providing digital readout of positional information for machine tools is becoming more widespread.
Encoder systems for use in machine tool applications may be required to display positional information for one, two, or more axes. Additionally, such positional readout systems frequently must be compatible with both English and metric units of measurement.